Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, Spring 1975 (ICPSR 7480)

Version Date: Sep 21, 2022

Cite this study |

Principal Investigator(s):
University of Michigan. Survey Research Center. Economic Behavior Program

Series:

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07480.v2

Version V2 ()

  • V2 [2022-09-21]
  • V1 [1992-02-16] unpublished
Slide tabs to view more

Summary

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and the respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' opinions of their health relative to that of other people in their age group, the relative merits of small and standard full-size cars as well as of small foreign cars and small American cars, the long-term cost and durability of certain household appliances, their satisfaction with the amount of money they had in savings, their satisfaction with life in the United States and with their lives in general, the United States government's help to the South Vietnamese government, and the seriousness of Arab nations' intentions regarding peace with Israel. Additional topics covered include a solution to the energy crisis, penalties for smoking marijuana, freedom to make uncomplimentary public speeches, communism in the United States and free speech, causes of crime and lawlessness, the role of government in improving the quality of life of the people, job satisfaction, monetary drive of lawyers and doctors and the state of the public good, and unionization of workers, as well as their financial status relative to the previous year and relative to that of their parents at a comparable age. Information is also provided on respondents' car ownership and the make and use of it, religious group affiliation, hobbies, political influence, political party identification, and self-identified ideological position. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, religion, and family income.

Citation

University of Michigan. Survey Research Center. Economic Behavior Program. Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, Spring 1975. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2022-09-21. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07480.v2

Export Citation:

  • RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
  • EndNote

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

Primary Sampling Units (PSUs)

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
Hide

Time Period(s)

1975
Hide

Study Purpose

The purpose of this survey series is to forecast changes in aggregate consumer behavior.

Sample

One respondent from each family unit in the dwellings sampled, usually the head of the family, or the wife. The dwelling units were selected by area probability sampling from 74 primary sampling units. For each dwelling unit in the sample, an interview was sought with a respondent from the primary family and from each secondary family (if any). The head of the family (usually the husband) was the preferred respondent, but the wife could substitute if the head was not readily available.

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend / Repeated Cross-section

Universe

All families living in continental United States dwelling units, exclusive of those on military reservations.

Unit(s) of Observation

Individual, Household

Data Source

personal interviews and telephone interviews

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

Hide

Original Release Date

1984-05-11

Version History

2022-09-21 Masked variables V251, V253, V340, and V342.

2018-02-15 The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented. The previous citation was:
  • University of Michigan. Survey Research Center. Economic Behavior Program. Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, Spring 1975. ICPSR07480-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2022-09-21. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07480.v2
Hide

Notes